A Little Something Extra

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Wednesday, Sept. 22, is the last day you can register to walk with us in Neenah and get a t-shirt. You can still register up to the date of the walk but you won't get a shirt. We would love to have more people walking with Micah's Mavericks! If you'd like to join us, click on the Donate button on the FirstGiving widget to the right here on the blog (from that link, you can join the team, with or without donating). If you want to walk, please do let me know, even if you can't sign up online. I'm working on making some hats for our team.

The same link can be used if you'd like to donate to our team, Micah's Mavericks. After what our little guy went through back in April, we are continuously thankful that we are able to walk WITH Micah and not in his memory. The money raised through this walk will go toward raising awareness and education in the local community. The local organization provided us with our first information about Down syndrome. It was given to us after we received Micah's prenatal diagnosis.

This is the first year there will be a walk in the Fox Cities (WI). Though we no longer live there, we want to support that community and give back. We're also thrilled that Rachel Coleman, hostess and creator of Signing Time, is doing a live performance. Micah is completely addicted to Signing Time DVD's. We haven't counted exactly, but he must know over 150 signs (ASL) thanks to Signing Time.

We set a fairly high goal for our team this year. Can you help us meet it?

P.S. I promise to post some new photos soon. And please pray for Micah as he is feeling rather crummy these days (lower GI and upper respiratory issues make for a very unhappy boy).

Saturday, September 11, 2010

I had the great privilege of attending a DownsEd conference in Atlanta this week (Thur/Fri). They provided lots of great evidence-based practices regarding learning in children with Down syndrome.

There were 3 tracks from which you could choose: early years (birth-5), childhood, and speech. The speech track was primarily for SLP professionals. I went to the early years. There were 3 speakers that rotated between the rooms and the general sessions. I can't do hyperlinks when posting from my iPhone, so I'll share more info next week. Suffice it to say that I learned a lot of practical things to work on with Micah this year. And I met some Facebook and blogosphere friends! I've been given a two-day extension of my leave of absence so I will be returning home to my guys tomorrow evening. I'm hanging with some dear friends and having a great retreat.

Jennie & Mark's blog

Welcome to our family blog. We have three boys: Nathan (7), Micah (4), and Matthew (3). Nathan is our energetic, sports fanatic first-born. Micah is our charming little guy, who happens to have an extra 21st chromosome (aka Down syndrome) and multiple associated health issues. Matthew is our big-boy-wanna-be. I started this blog the day after we found out that Micah has designer genes (Trisomy 21, aka Down syndrome). We've been through a lot of ups and downs (and a lot of time in the hospital), but God is faithful and continues to show His love toward us.